Familiar Face
by BeverlyQueen
Summary: Castiel sees a familiar face after the angels fall from heaven. SPOILERS: 8x23! NOT ROMANTIC IN ANYWAY.


The sky was a dark grey, the clouds swarmed over head never diminishing. No sun ever shone through, not since the day of the 'Falling Sky', or as my people called it the day of the 'Fallen Angels". The protectors of heaven, no longer protected their home. We'd been sent away, expelled from the place we were safe in. But now we are fallen, and we fell hard.

I found Dean and Sam, but there was no hoping they could help. Sam's mind had been twisted and mutilated before being shoved back inside him. The mind like can glass withstand a great deal, but dropped from a great height, it shatters beyond repair. He's healing now but you can still see the cracks, they'll always be visible and his mind's not as strong as it once was. The plans to revive heaven would have to wait.

The wounds are slowly healing, Crowley's disappeared once again. The presence of shutting down hell wasn't as powerful as losing the brother you'd fight to protect. I'm sure the King of Hell is recuperating down in his hole, waiting for the perfect moment to strike back. But with no Angels to protect us, who say's we'll win?

Stepping out of the house we've chosen I turn left to the little town down the road. It's safe, no one asks questions and it's not full of reminders that we've failed, that we lost.

It's a nice house, I'll give it that. It's got enough rooms for everyone and anyone we want as guest, but that never happens. Each Angel that we know or knew has changed stretching across the world, disappearing and blending in. Others humans, demons and array of creatures have either disappeared or are licking their wounds. Waiting for the next battle just like the rest of us.

Our wings are gone, we are now mortal.

Walking through the old oak doors of the only coffee shop in town, I nod to the waitress Monica. Over the past couple of weeks, I've become quite a regular in here. My new body seems to like coffee and the sweet cake they make here, and it's quiet, peaceful, gives me time to think.

Think of the lives that have been lost, the souls destroyed. And me to think of the remorse of one lost Angel. The Angel I want to apologise too.

Yes, she manipulated me, played with me, and erased my memories. But what if she was protecting me? She was helping me?

I didn't believe that last plea of hers. It was pitiful and seemed she was just playing a game with me. Manipulating me again. But once I began to think, she was crying or at least she had tears in her eyes. Angels aren't meant to show emotion, what if that thought of being expelled from Heaven brought out the underlying fear that every creature has. The fear of dying, the fear of losing a place to call home.

Monica smiles at me as she sets down the coffee and cake. I smile back, but I never look into her eyes. They're blue, just like hers were. Those eyes that tortured me, that changed me but still held so much power. Until they were cold and open. Gone was the spark that was an Angel to me.

Now that I'm human, I have the things they call nightmares. But mine aren't of monsters or of the horrors I've seen. They're just black with two pale unblinking eyes staring back at me, surrounded by crimson liquid.

The doorbell signalling an occupant entering rings, the chime snapping me back to reality. Looking up I take in the brown hair and the blue eyes of the newest costumer before looking back at my coffee as it slowly cools in my hands.

Something about this woman nags me and I look back up at the face. She looks different now, her hair no longer in its tight bun, her impeccable suit gone, replaced by a pony tail, jeans, and sneakers. She looks different now, to the glasses perched on the edge of her nose. But I'm looking back at ghost, an angel who had fallen.

It had never occurred to me that she may fall with the others, she may survive. She turns to the counter and orders two coffees, her brown hair much longer than I thought it was. Standing up I move closer to the counter trying to get a glimpse of blue eyes that haunted me in my dreams.

She turns around and looks at me, giving me a slight smile before handing over the money to the counter. I duck my head down and head back to my table, but not before bumping into a small figure. A pair of pale blue eyes looks up at me from behind a blond fringe, and a toothless smile grins up at me.

"Hi" comes her small voice "I'm Cassie"

I smile down at this small girl "My name is Castiel" normally I wouldn't give my name out to strangers, but this little girl with two blond pigtails just smiles at me, showing her missing two front teeth.

"I'm here with my mummy and daddy" she says "are you here with someone?"

"No" I answer, looking around "I'm waiting for someone"

"Oh, is your girlfriend coming?" asks the little girl

"Cassie" comes the mother's chiding voice behind us. I turn looking into those deep blue eyes and slowly take in her smile, I couldn't remember if this angel ever smiled.

"Naomi" the name escapes from my lips before I can stop it.

The woman gives me a long look as if she's trying to remember something. Her eyes twitch slightly and then a smile crosses her face. "I'm sorry my names Helen"

"Sorry, you just remind me of someone I used to know" I said smiling "my name's Castiel"

"I'm terribly sorry for my daughter; she doesn't know when to stop asking questions" Helen smiles

"Ah, miss your coffee's ready" came Monica's voice behind us.

Helen smiles and grabs the coffees that rest on the table, "It was nice to meet you Castiel"

She grabs her daughter's hand and leads her out of the shop, with Cassie waving to me the whole way. Through the glass in the window I can see her reach out and hug a man with glasses, planting a kiss on his lips she hands him the coffee and they head off down the street.

_I apologize Naomi, I'm sorry for not trusting you, but I think your home now. _


End file.
